Madrigaia
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"Mad About Madrigaïa (Front Page)"

The seven sisters' top our list of 22 local reviews.

Rating: A
Madrigaïa
Pléiades
(Independent)
www.madrigaia.com

Vocal ensembles almost always deliver tremendous live shows. There's something about the physical effort and concentration required that just seems to sparkle on a concert stage. On its second full-length disc, Franco-Manitoban world music troupe Madrigaïa has brought that live sparkle into the studio and emerges with 14 cuts that absolutely radiate. Part of the charm is the exotic nature of the material - the seven singers and two percussionists have combed the globe, from French Manitoba to Brazil, Bulgaria, India and beyond, in search of these airs and melodies. And they've done their homework right down to the tiniest detail, as vocal subtexts and counter-melodies liven up even the simplest of tunes. From gentle folk songs to intense Argentinian tango, Pléiades is a fully realized, deeply satisfying album. - Uptown Magazine


"Local group Madrigaia nabs indie award"

Local multi-lingual a cappella group Madrigaia won the World Album of the Year award for their debut album, Viva Voce, at the Canadian Independent Music Awards Wednesday in Toronto.

The six-member vocal group was the only Manitoba act to win an award at the annual ceremony known as The Indies, which kicks off Canada's annual Canadian Music Week activities.

Madrigaia was also a regional finalist in CBC's Great Canadian Music Dream, a national talent search contest whose local instalment was won by Alberta roots-rockers Painting Daisies. - Winnipeg Sun


"Madrigaia"

Madrigaia
Viva Voce
(quatre étoiles)

Cet ensemble vocal est composé de six filles qui viennent du Manitoba. Quel meilleur titre que Viva Voce pouvaient-elles trouver pour ce premier album qui célèbre la beauté de la vois. Madrigaia (contraction des mots madrigal et gaia, qui veut dire "terre") propose une quinzaine de pièces traditionnelles en français, en yiddish, en croate, en serbe, en hongrois et en micmac. Les filles chantent a cappella ou accompagnées de percussions et de quelques cordes. Toujours, leurs arrangements minimalistes ont de quoi nous faire frissonner. La justesse des harmonies, la précision rythmique, le parfait mariage des voix, tout est là. Madrigaia vient de marquer un point avec ce premier disque. À découvrir! - Échos-vedettes


"Commentaires de disques Can-Rock"

Viva Voce
Madrigaia

Voici un album out of this world, comme disent les anglais. Viva voce du collectif féminin Madrigaia de l'ouest canadien, qui met à l'avant scène l'instrument le plus naturel et le plus puissant qui soit... La voix.

Madrigaia est composé de six femmes aux voix superbes, que je voudrais nommer individuellement, tellement que l'effort mérite tout notre respect. Dominique Reynolds, Andrina Turenne, Marie-Claude McDonald, Brigitte Sabourin, Ariane Jean et Sarah Dugas ont choisi de nous offrir un album, de style madrigal, de 15 chansons des quatre coins du monde. Elles sont accompagnées de temps à autre par quelques musiciens, comme dans la pièce Odi Odi qui se termine par une belle trame de percussions.

De ces 15 pièces, que comprend Viva Voce, il y a d'autres petits bijoux, que j'aimerais mentionner. C'est le cas de Ritournelle, un bel excise de voix en canon sur une chanson traditionnelle franco-canadienne. Cette dernière fait partie d'un trio de chansons a cappella, avec Tabortuznel (traditionnel Hongrois), et Vus vet zayn (chanson Yiddish), qui se trouve à être un point fort de l'album. Plus loin, on retrouve une pièce inspirée par un poème liturgique hébreu, Yedid Nefesh. IL y a aussi une chanson populaire croate Vuprem Oci qui mérite une attention particulière. Il ne faudrait pas oublier la chanson de Dominique Reynolds sur un arrangement de Marie-Claude McDonald, Mon arbre, un texte puissant et engagé.

Je termine en mentionnant, que l'on retrouve, le traditionnel Mic Mac Vichten et que Grain de mil, un traditionnel franco-canadien que l'on connaît tous, en est un crescendo intéressant qui termine bien l'album, avant la reprise de la première pièce Niska Banja. Ces deux dernières pièces sont suivies par une autre cachée, qui est en fait une expérimentation vocale de 7 minutes 51 secondes du titre She wants more.

Bref, voici un labum des plus intéressants de l'ouest-canadien, qui est dans une classe à part. En écoutant Viva Voce de Madrigaia, on peut s'imaginer dans une vieille cathédrale, possédant une qualité sonore hors du commun, pour une expérience hors du commun, qui en vaut l'écoute. Une extase pour l'ouïe qui est disponible via le www.madrigaia.com. - Can-Rock (Marc Lalonde)


"Viva Voce - Review"

Madrigaia
Viva Voce (Independent)

File under: Earth Mother music
Sounds like: Mediaeval Baebes without the attitude
The goods: Six franco-manitoban vocalists pool theier talent to deliver stunning versions of ancient and modern folk songs, both a cappella and with a minimalist backing band. Easily the best local traditional recording of the year.

Bartley Kives - Winnipeg Free Press


"Viva Voce - Review 2"

Madrigaia
Viva Voce
Independent

It would be easy to dismiss Madrigaia as the Manitoba Barbes. Easy, but not completely fair. Sure, there's more than a passing similarity between this local vocal sextet and U.K. sex-kitten chorale outfit the Mediaeval Baebes: the all-female lineup, the a cappella chorale vocals, the linguistic adventurousness. But there's one big difference: Talent. All the gals in Madrigaia can not only sing, they know how to sing as a group, intertwining their individually pristine vocals with effortless grace into a gorgeous tapestry of harmony. Which could be why they only need six members to do everything the dozen-strong Baebes can do and more. And why their impressive debut full-length Viva Voce - 15 meticulously arranged, bewitchingly soothing traditional tunes sung in French, Yiddish, various Eastern European languages and even Mic Mac, for cryin' out loud - is far more listenable than the last couple of Baebes albums. And why the gals have been getting plenty of attention on the national scene of late - including a spot on CBC TV's Great Canadian Music Dream contest being held tomorrow night in Winnipeg. Viva, indeed. - The Winnipeg Sun


"Top Ten must see concerts"

No. 2
Madrigaia
A cappella vocal ensemble, Winnipeg

Location: Franco-Manitoban Cultural Centre, Nov. 22
Motivation: If the idea of six women singing traditional songs from across the globe sounds like drudgery, you haven't seen this Winnipeg group, a technically gifted musicological project that also knows how to perform. The repertoire spans the centuries, from plainsong to nearly modern French and Eastern Suropean folk music.
Compensation: $7 at the door - Winnipeg Free Press


"Madrigaia set for international stage"

Members of Winnipeg a cappella group Madrigaia are set to take the international stage.

The group will leave March 5 on a tour of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, produces by Les Rendez-Vous de la francophonie, which has chosen three French-Canadian groups to showcase worldwide.

"It's our first international tour," says Madrigaia member Marie-Claude McDonald. "We see this as a new beginning for us on the international market."

In preparation for the tour, the band members are now busy learning songs in Spanish and Portuguese.

Madrigaia's music reflects its band members' French-Canadian roots, but they sing in a variety of languages, including French, Spanish, Hungarian, Yugoslavian, Mic mac, Croatian, Hebrew and Yiddish.

Winnipeg fans can hear some old favourites and some new material at a concert Feb. 28, 8 p.m. in the Martial-Caron Hall at St. Boniface College, 200 de la Cathedrale Avenue (Aulneau entrance.) Tickets are available at the door or can be reserved through ino@madrigaia.com. - The Lance


"Madrigaia, ambassadrices culturelles"

Avec Christian Perron au violon et à l'animation, les sept membres de Madrigaia avaient reçu le mandat de se faire les ambassadrices culturelles du Manitoba français, mandat qu'elles ont rempli haut la main. La qualité de leurs performances a grandement contribué au sentiment de fierté francophone qui s'est manifesté dès les premiers jours de la mission. Et les Alsaciens ont aimé l'énergie mais aussi la douceur et la profondeur d'un répertoire aux accents internationaux. - La Liberté


"Madrigaïa, cultural ambassadors"

Accompanied by Christian Perron on the violin who also emceed for the group, the seven members of Madrigaia had been given the mandate to represent Manitoba as "cultural ambassadors", which they accomplished brilliantly. The quality of their performances contributed a great deal to the feeling of Francophone pride that was obvious from the first day on. The Alsatians clearly enjoyed the group's energy as well as the depth of their international repertoire. - La Liberté


Discography

Viva Voce (May 2002)
Pleiades (September 2005)

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Manitoba’s a cappella group Madrigaïa was formed in spring of 1999. Its members used to gather frequently and share their voices through song and vocal improvisation. From these creative sessions, the idea to create Madrigaïa was born.

Marie-Claude McDonald, Brigitte Sabourin, Ariane Jean, Sarah Dugas, Dominique Reynolds, Andrina Turenne and Annick Brémault have all known individual successes in the francophone music scene. They have also all been involved in other performing arts productions as singers, musicians, dancers and/or actresses.

The melding of all this talent results in a first class performance which has enchanted audiences ranging from festivals and concerts throughout the country, France and South America, to special performances for the Governor General of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II and the Lieutenant Governors of Canada.

Madrigaïa also offers performances and workshops in schools in order to teach children about the different languages and cultures.

Madrigaïa released its debut CD, Viva Voce, in May of 2002. This album was awarded a Canadian Independent Music Award in the World Music category. The group was also selected as semi-finalists in CBC-TV's national competition "Great Canadian Music Dream." A second CD will be released this summer 2005.